Car she learned to drive in
When Hansen was 15, she was living in Florida by that time and she learned how to drive in earnest -- she learned how to drive a stick shift on a 1992 IROC Z28 Camaro (the last year of the third-Gen Camaro). "My dad bought it with the intention to give it to me, but he bought it before I turned 16 so he drove it for while," Hansen says. "That was my first car, I loved it, it was fast and powerful and amazing. I learned right -- learning with the powerful sports car. My dad had the right idea."
First car bought
The first car Hansen bought for herself was a new manual 1996 BMW 325i convertible, which she prefers. "I was modeling in high school and did 22 commercials for Dodge regionally when I was living in Florida and saved up." She was on her way to college but later ended up trading it for an SUV because "it was a more college-appropriate vehicle" to road trip with friends. She's had several SUVs including a GMC Jimmy and Jeep Cherokee.
Favorite road trip
One fond road trip memory was driving from Atlanta to New Orleans with friends for a vacation. "It was a really fun time, I'm sure I-75 was a part of it," she says.
Hansen moved to Los Angeles eight years ago and now she loves to drive up the coast, on Pacific Coast Highway and Highway 1 to San Francisco. "It's a fun road to drive and it's the most gorgeous road in the country."
Daily Driver
Hansen would drive up the coast in either of her daily drivers, since they're perfect for such road trips -- both are convertibles that she gives a 10.5 rating on a scale of 10. She has a 2005 Aston Martin DB9 and a 2004 Thunderbird, which was tricked out by her "Overhaulin'" co-host/auto designer Chip Foose.
"I really love both my cars equally," she says. "I love it for the same reason -- it's comfortable, it's a sleek, sexy car, especially after it's been modified by Chip Foose. It's powerful. We added some horsepower to it with a K&N air filter."
He also lowered the T-bird by two inches, put in an Eibach suspension system, pinstriped it beige to match the soft-top, added 20-in. Foose wheels that were designed for that model T-bird, BFGoodrich low-profile radial tires, and a Kicker audio system.
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